Over the years, one picture has gotten a substantial amount of attention from people around the world. The magazine National Geographic published an issue that featured an Afghan girl, then only twelve years old, and it has been talked about ever since (view image at ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/index-text). 
            The picture was taken in 1984 by National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry. Researching this photo over twenty years later, one can find that the girl, Sharbat Gula, was actually orphaned during the Soviet Union’s bombing of Afghanistan. In the early 1980s, her village was attacked by Soviet helicopter gunships. Left with only her grandmother and siblings, she hiked over the mountains to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan. Gula was a student at an informal school at the refugee camp, and taking pictures of Afghan women wasn’t usually allowed. Since he was given the chance, though, McCurry took the opportunity to snap a picture while he could. The girl’s red scarf and contrasting green eyes became one of the most recognized pictures that National Geographic had ever published.
            This picture seems to capture what Afghan women feel. The look on the girl’s face is what catches the glance of most people, though. Her clothes are torn and her face is dirty, but behind her beautiful green eyes lies the true meaning of this photograph. The picture represents the struggles of Afghan women and the trials that they face.
            Women in Afghanistan face many obstacles. To this day, the literacy rate of girls in the country is very low. Haji Ali, the chief of the village of Korphe in neighboring Pakistan, believes that “To educate a girl is to educate a community” (Mortenson). He says this because, more often than boys, girls will go home and teach their mothers how to read. They will come back from the market with meat wrapped in newspaper and read the news to their mothers. Their mothers become informed of what is going on in the country and want to keep their sons from being trained to be soldiers. In spite of numerous attempts to build schools, they are constantly destroyed because of this. Women in the Kush Mountains of Pakistan and Afghanistan have worked for years to gain and maintain their rights. Lonely Planet Afghanistan says, “In the aftermath of the Taliban, Afghan women were hopeful and demonstrated their strength and determination by assuming professional roles, public positions and accessing opportunities” (Clammer 50). Although the women have now reached a much more respected status in the culture, they still work to keep the respect of many men. Today, Afghanistan offers many opportunities for women, but not many people take advantage of them. Violence against women, especially domestically, is on the rise. Women are resorting to cutting and self-destruction because they believe that there is no hope. Perhaps this picture solely represents women in refugee camps in the area, since they face the same kind of violence Gula does.
            The reason this picture stands out so much in general is the sight of the girl’s beautiful eyes. Whether having a different eye color than most people is envied or looked down upon, the girl without doubt stands out. Having to deal with that alone has probably made her incredibly brave. She’s so different from the people around her. Her eyes are bright and hopeful. She seems to be thinking about how her future can develop and how life can be better for her.
            Looking deeper though, a person begins to wonder. Is she actually scared of her future? Is she worried or confused? After all, with the social status of women as it is, she may have difficulty making her future as successful as she’d like. She might not be able to finish her education at the refugee camp, and therefore not be able to work to provide for her younger siblings. Do her eyes show that she is sad or upset? She certainly has reason to be sad after being orphaned and sent to a refugee camp. Being forced to live in a camp like that after your village has been massacred can’t be the most uplifting opportunity in the world. The girl’s clothes are worn out as if maybe they’re the only thing she has to wear. Perhaps living in a refugee camp after being orphaned has forced her into poverty, or made living conditions even more unbearable. Are refugees forced into a life of poverty? Does anyone really have enough money to sufficiently take care of their families there or does the camp provide for them? Does the dirt on her face symbolize the cleanliness of Afghan women or of people in the refugee camp? This girl could have been taking care of her younger siblings all day and not had time to clean up for this picture. Or maybe she didn’t even know that the picture was being taken. Is she surprised by the picture? Maybe she turned around and the photographer was right in her face. We as Americans, especially females, are never satisfied with pictures of ourselves. Did she ever even see this picture? According to Steve McCurry, the photographer that found her 17 years later, “She had no idea her face had become an icon” (Braun).
            Gula was completely unaware of the influence her photograph would have on this generation’s view of Afghanistan. The pained look in her beautiful eyes has captured the hearts of many people across the world. This picture shows the struggles of not only Afghan women, but specifically of Afghan women in refugee camps. Through the captivating stare of a woman oppressed by her culture and the senseless violence against her people, the world has seen the depths of disparity and the cruel nature of human beings. The intense stare also appealed to the world’s compassion and empathy for a people who were suffering and needed help. The desperate look on a girl simply seeking safety and a good life, has opened the eyes of the world to the suffering of those less fortunate who need the help of stronger nations to defend them and give them a firm place to stand in the world today.